Abstract :
Background: Preeclampsia(PE) is a hypertensive disorder affecting about 5-14% of pregnancies worldwide and around 20% of high-risk pregnancies, resulting in maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Imbalances in milieu of serum sodium and potassium, that are involved in functioning of vascular smooth muscles, leads to vasoconstriction and hypertension in PE. Calcium deficiency stimulates parathyroid hormone, leading to vasoconstriction. Magnesium regulates blood pressure by monitoring vascular tone and structure. There is scarcity of studies on these factors in PE in central Karnataka.
Aim: To estimate levels of serum calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium in preeclampsia.
Settings and Design: Hospital based cross-sectional study conducted from September, 2020 to February, 2021 at a Tertiary Teaching Hospital in Chitradurga.
Materials and Mathods: 60 diagnosed cases of preeclampsia and equal number of age, parity and gestational age matched women with singleton normal pregnancies, attending antenatal clinic or admitted and treated in obstetrics wards of the hospital were included in the study. Clinical examination and laboratory investigations to estimate biochemical parameters were conducted.
Statistical Analysis: Data was analyzed in SPSS V:20. Statistical tests like chi-square and One-way ANOVA test were applied to find the significance of associations.
Results: Hypernatremia, hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia and hypocalcemia were significant in preeclampsia compared to normal pregnancy group. In severe preeclamptia, highest levels of serum sodium and lowest levels of serum potassium, magnesium and calcium were found compared to the mild PE group.
Conclusion: Timely estimation of serum electrolytes, calcium and magnesium through the course of pregnancy could help in early detection and prompt treatment of preeclampsia and also can prevent the adverse outcomes of pregnancies. Also, dietary restriction of sodium and dietary supplementation of calcium, magnesium and potassium rich foods to the pregnant women and calcium supplementation could reduce the risk of preeclampsia.
Keyword :
Preeclampsia, Serum sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Central Karnataka.